The present invention relates to acoustic signal processing, and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to communication between components of a hearing aid.
The difficulty of extracting a desired sound in the presence of interfering sound sources is a long-standing problem. Especially troublesome is the separation of desired sound from unwanted sound with hearing aids. Generally, such devices do not permit selective amplification of a desired sound when contaminated by noise from a nearby source—particularly when the noise is more intense. This problem is even more severe when the desired sound emanates from a selected speaker and the nearby noise is produced by several talkers.
One technique to address such problems is a hearing aid system that includes two or more components worn by a user in different locations. During operation, it is generally desirable that one or more communication links be established between these components using wireless interconnect technology. Interconnecting these components by wires or cables to facilitate communication is greatly undesirable. Furthermore, communication through the transmission of electromagnetic signals through the air also has certain drawbacks, such as the potential for interference by stray signals and the difficulty of incorporating the necessary transmission and reception circuits into a device of a size that can be comfortably worn by the user.
Thus, there continues to be a demand for further contributions in this area of technology.